Terms of use.

Trail information

Observations, not guarantees.

Everything written here about a trail — distance, elevation, surface, width, gates, obstacles, parking, restrooms — describes what I found on one specific day, recorded with a consumer GPS watch and my own eyes. It is offered as a first-hand account, not as an authoritative survey.

Trails change. Boardwalks close, culverts wash out, gates get installed, gravel gets laid, storms drop trees across a route, and seasonal conditions turn a firm surface into mud. A description that was accurate when filmed can be wrong within a week.

Before you go, verify current conditions with the agency that manages the land — the Metroparks, Michigan DNR, the National Park Service, or whoever holds it. They know about closures and I don't.

Accessibility

Read this if you're relying on it.

Accessibility notes on this site exist because that information is hard to find and often simply absent. I take them seriously, I check them on the ground rather than copying a listing, and I would rather say "not accessible" plainly than print a comfortable negative.

But they are still one person's observation, not a professional accessibility assessment, and not a determination of compliance with any standard or regulation. Needs vary enormously — a surface that works for one wheelchair does not work for another, and a grade that one person manages easily stops someone else. What I can tell you is what was there. Whether it works for you is a judgment only you can make.

If I have described something wrongly, please tell me at hello@wholetrail.com. Corrections are welcome and I would rather know.

Risk

Hiking is your own responsibility.

Walking in the outdoors carries risk — terrain, weather, water, wildlife, other trail users, and your own condition on the day. Nothing on this site is a recommendation that any particular trail is safe or suitable for you. You are responsible for your own preparation, judgment, and decisions, and you assume the risks of any activity you undertake.

Gear

What the gear page is.

The gear page lists equipment I bought with my own money and carried on real hikes. It describes what worked for this specific use — recording continuous audio while walking — which is a narrow purpose and may have nothing to do with yours. It is not professional advice, and no item is listed because a brand asked.

Some links may earn a commission. That is disclosed on the gear page itself, above the links, and commission never determines what appears there.

Content

What you may and may not do with it.

The films, photographs, text, and design on this site and on the WholeTrail YouTube channel are my own work and remain my copyright. You are welcome to link to anything here, quote a short passage with attribution, or share a video using YouTube's own share and embed tools.

Please don't re-upload the films or extracts to other platforms, use the audio as stock or background in other productions, or use any of it to train machine learning systems, without asking first. Ask — the answer is often yes.

Bird identifications are produced by BirdNET-Analyzer, which is a research tool with its own licensing. Map graphics may include OpenStreetMap data, used under the Open Database License with attribution shown in the film.

Third parties

Links leave this site.

Links to retailers, mapping services, land agencies, and YouTube take you to sites I don't control and am not responsible for. Their terms and privacy practices are their own. What this site collects is described in the privacy policy.

The legal part

Warranty and liability.

This site and its contents are provided as they are, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or accuracy. I do not warrant that the site will be available without interruption or that the information on it is current or error-free.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, I am not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of this site or from reliance on anything published here, including any injury or loss occurring on a trail described on it.

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules.

Changes

When this page changes.

These terms may be updated as the site grows. Continuing to use the site after a change means accepting the current version.

Last updated: 23 August 2026